Why didn't we kill him before?

Zarqawi is dead.



That's great news.

Such great news, in fact, that it's worth remembering that the U.S. had multiple chances to kill Zarqawi before the invasion of Iraq.

Why didn't the U.S. kill Zarqawi before the war?

Because the Bush Administration feared that, without Zarqawi alive, the U.S. would have one fewer justification for the invasion.

Military officials insist their case for attacking Zarqawi’s operation was airtight, but the administration feared destroying the terrorist camp in Iraq could undercut its case for war against Saddam

So celebrate Zarqawi's death, but don't for a second give this Administration credit it doesn't deserve. Today's news is like the Atlanta Fire Department disabling every smoke detector in town, then bragging about all of the fires it was extinguishing.